Becoming You

Becoming.... to be in the process of being who we were meant to be. My wife told me she was speaking with a young mother recently who had seen the latest 3-D ultrasound images of her developing child. She was fascinated with the intricate details now visible to her even while the baby was still in the womb. Children's development is utterly fascinating and rewarding to watch. We are drawn to their development of facial features, body types, language, motor skills etc.... And if we know their families we are equally fascinated and careful to make note of the similarities or differences. But there is an aspect of becoming that goes far beyond the visible. Inside of all of us  is the everlasting reality of the real YOU that outlives our frail mortal bodies. Our Spiritual self was created to develop and mature in line with our physical body. We were born for love and relationship with one another, but also with God. When our faith life remains undeveloped or lacks nurture and care we become malnourished. While our mother and father give birth to us physically, God almighty deposits in each of us the marks of eternity. God is as fascinated with you as your mother and father are. Look at Psalm 139:17, "God, how difficult your thoughts are for me (to comprehend); how vast their sum is! If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with you."
  All of us are born with both a physical and spiritual DNA that marks our uniqueness....from our fingerprints to our dreams and desires, we are all created by an amazing God to show forth his beauty in creation.  When we are not fostered and developed spiritually our inner core becomes weak and damaged. Our flesh grows and matures but our ability to really know purpose, vision and destiny are hindered. Even when our father and mother fail us we are not removed from divine purpose. Again Psalm 139, 13-16, "For it was you who created my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.
  You are remarkable. You are wonderful.... and your days are planned. Have you ever had that spoken into your life? For too many of us we feel a sense of confusion when we think about issues like identity. Who am I really? Those sort of questions become very difficult for those raised in broken or abusive homes where the uncertainties of daily life are so intense. Becoming you is a challenge when you don't have a guide along life's journey. We hit roadblocks like peer pressure and the challenge of conforming to other's expectations and demands. We give up on finding out who we are and 'settle' for becoming like everyone else. Instead of celebrating our uniqueness, we struggle wearing another's 'clothes' and dreams.
  So much of discovering who we really are flows out of walking in the garden of secure and unconditional love. A simple prayer can often help us discover who we really are: "God, open the eyes of my heart!" Your creator longs to unlock the mystery of why you're here, who you are and how much he loves you. The first step on the pilgrimage of self discovery is a conversation with the one who made you. He's ready to listen.

Jim